Regrets of Not Regretting
by Captain Meghan
Summary: Elizabeth's trip to the past as she explains to Will all that happened over the ten years he's been gone. And the betrayal she wasn't sorry for. Jack/Elizabeth. Eventual T Rating.
1. A Lot Of Explaining To Do

As Elizabeth crossed the windy field she felt as though she would puke. The emotions tangled up inside her were riveting. She was so unbelievably happy to meet Will once again after ten long life changing years. But at the same time, she was about to break down with nervousness. So much had happened in the past ten years. So much that she was not ready to explain.

Her oldest son William skipped along up ahead of her singing an old song he learned many years ago. He on the other hand was simply happy. He had no worries. Just butterflies and anxiousness to meet the man he dreamt about all his life. William was about to meet the man he was named after; his father.

Now meeting up together they both stood and waited. After ten years there was no garuntee that the man they had imagined would be how they pictured him. Each second seemed like an eternity. Each second brought on another question of "what if…?".

Finally they're distress was brought to an end as a relieving green light flashed along the horizon as a ship appeared. William smiled up at his mother. The happiness in his face got rid of some of the uneasiness in Elizabeth. Seeing the boy was almost shaking with excitement, she started to walk him down to meet his father.

William stopped walking as his father got off the ship. Immediately Elizabeth ran into his arms greeting him with a warm kiss. The celebration might have gone on longer had Will not realized the boy standing behind her. Wordlessly Will kept walking and crouched down on one knee to be eye to eye with little William. Holding his shoulder and pulling a strand of hair out of his face, he took a good look at the boy he knew without being told to be his son. Little William smiled wildly then jumped into Will's arms in a huge hug.

Will hadn't felt so alive in years as he walked throught the field back to Elizabeth's house with his arm around her and his hand in his son's. Elizabeth watched as her son William chatted endlessly to his father. The two were together and they were happier than ever. Its what she had always hoped would happen. But unfortunately her conseince would not let her be happy for too long. The good feeling was easily trod down by that queesy nervousness of what was to come. Will had to know the truth. As they neared the humble cottage, Elizabeth started to form the words in her mind like she had practiced them.

"William, why don't you show your father around the back the back yard?" Elizabeth asked sweetly. He jumped at the idea and grabbed his father's hand dragging him away, talking continuosly again. Will was unsure about whether he wanted to leave his wife, but with a kiss on the cheek from her he smiled and followed his son.

The two explored the world of Williams many adventures in the backyard. From the gardern he helped his mom with to the pirate ship he'd made, William Jr. told it all. He rambled on and on finally having the person to tell it to. Will listened intently to every detail of his son's life. He had waited so long to hear it. Both had longed for this moment.

After a bit of that, the excited William dragged his father around to the front of his to show him every detail of the inside now, he lead him in. Right in the front room was Elizabeth kneeling down talking to a boy about four years of age. Young William paid no attention to it but kept walking. He was highly dissappointed when Will's attention was focused on the boy and not him.

Elizabeth looked up at Will who had a look of suspicion. She took a deep breath and stood up. Now was the time.

"Who's this?" Will asked with a sense of uneasiness.

Elizabeth took the boys hand and stepped towards Will. Her palms sweat with the fear of what she had knew would come. But again she convinced herself that he had to know. It was only fair to them all.

"Will. I'd like you to meet James." Elizabeth introduced the young boy. Will knew what she meant but refused to comprehend. "He is my son." She finished.

Will studied the boy who was obviously unaware of the seriousness that this introduction held. Will's heart raced as he understood what she was trying to say.

"James. This is Will Turner. He's the one I told you about." Elizabeth spoke to the boy in a tone only a mother has.

Couragiously, James let go of his mother's hand and took a step towards the man who towered over him. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Turner." He said politely and with all the confidence in the world. Will forced a smile which quickly faded away as a question finally formed.

"Your son?" he asked.

"Yes, my son, Will." Elizabeth replied.

Young William who also didn't understand how serious it all was, had had enough of the boringness and wanted his fathers attention back. He walked over and grabbed his hand.

"Come on, I want to show you my bed" he tugged on his arm. But Will stayed firmly in his place, eyes stuck on James and Elizabeth. William didn't understand his actions and Elizabeth jumped in to fix his confusion.

"William, dear, will you do me a favor and take James outside to play? I need to talk with your father for a bit." She instructed slightly pushing him towards his brother. Reluctantly the child took his little brothers hand walked out the door, looking back at his parents.

There was a silence between the two after the children left them alone in the humble kitchen. Neither knew where to start. Elizabeth walked around the quaint room of but a table and some cabnits. She had started it. Now it was his turn to ask questions. But as the silence grew on, her nerves couldn't handle it much longer.

"He is your son and not mine." Will restated simply for his own convincing. Elizabeth silently nodded. "James?" he asked.

"Yes." Elizabeth nodded again. "After the late admiral. I felt I owed it to him."

"You didn't mention a last name." Will pointed out. Of course Elizabeth had realized this. And him bringing it up made her stomach jump. A lump grew in her throat from shame. She scorned herself for such a reaction when she knew this was coming. She had prepared an answer but at the moment she couldn't bring herself to say it.

Her lack of an answer just enraged Will's suspense as he grew irriated. "What's his last name Elizabeth?" he asked shouting. "Who's his father?"

Elizabeth's eyes welled up and she choked back the tears. She backed up against the wall, wishing she would disappear into it. Her face was red with shame. She was screaming the name in her mind but it just couldn't come out.

"WHO? Elizabeth, who?!" Will yelled out of pain, fury, and heartbreak.

"Sparrow!" she shouted back. Will stopped yelling as his face grew pale at the name. With the release of her confession a tear fell down her cheek. "Sparrow" she repeated in a much softer voice. "His name is James Sparrow."


	2. As Fate Would Have It

**A/N: Chapter two. Any thoughts yet? Lemme know!** **Constructive criticism is always appreciated. **

"Its not how it seems, I'm sure." She finally began to explain. Will had been pacing back and forth steaming for the past couple of minutes. "It… I… I didn't do it on purpose."

"Did it happen on accident, hmm?" he yelled. "Things like this don't happen unknowingly. How could you? How could you just-"

"Will!" she snapped. Her cheeks were coated with tears. This was worse than she imagined. She felt so low, so unworthy. But she kept reassuring herself that she had to continue. She could not let him leave without knowing what she had to say. And she only had one day to explain and make things right.

"Please." She begged.

He looked at her and sighed cooling down from his tantrum. She was right. He hadn't given her a chance yet. Will walked over to the table and took a seat. She took this as her que to explain. So she sat in the chair across from him and exhaled deeply. There was so mch to say.

"As I said," she began "I didn't do this on purpose. I never meant to harm you. I did not go out looking for this." Those words needed to come out first. Will still didn't seem to happy with anything she said, but he kept quiet for her to continue.

"It started about five years ago." She said thinking back to a time she had not since revisited. A time with so many emotions. So many memories. "William was only four. We had walked down by the port to do some much needed shopping. We went with no expectations really. It was just like any other time we'd gone to the marketplace. But while we were making our way through the town, an all too familiar pirate ran into us…"As she continued to talk she dissappeared back into that time when she was much younger. Six years younger to be exact.

It was a hot day on the shore as people surrounded Elizabeth in every direction. Everyone was constantly moving from place to place. The atmosphere was buzzing with excitement. Sellers were everywhere you looked. Old sailors, rich men, pretty ladies, homeless children, enterprenuers. All kinds of people filled the street. In all the chaos, Elizabeth made her way through the crowds holding young William's hand tightly in her grasp.

"Mother!" he squealed "Look, that man is selling swords!" he said with the fascination only a child could possess.

"Yes dear" Elizabeth replied, more occupied by thoughts of how to find her way around without losing her son.

"Is he a pirate?" the four-year-old asked curiously.

"I figure, not" she again replied without much consideration. At last she spotted the fruit stand they regularly bought from. Finally breaking free from the stream of people, Elizabeth dragged William up next to the stand.

Elizabeth started to pick through the apples decisively

"Well why not?" William asked, offended. "He has swords! Pirates have swords."

Elizabeth still maintained her maternal sense of multitasking has she grasped four shimmering red apples. "He earns his living on land, dear. He may have been a pirate once, but any man who spends the chief of his time on land is not truly a pirate."

She shot a glance at him to see how he took this. He furrowed his brow a little at the answer. It was much less exciting then he'd hoped. But soon enough he forgot about it and began gazing at all of his other surroundings. Elizabeth smiled at him endearingly. Four was such a loveable age, she thought.

Quickly, she grabbed a few more things and paid the seller with a few coins from her satin pouch- a delicacy from her many travels so long ago. Turning to the buzzing crowd, Elizabeth sighed a little at the prospect of getting back through there again.

"Come on," she said to William, hoisting him up onto her hip. It seemed the easiest way, despite his growing weight and his, now more direct, questions.

"Mother," he began as she knew he would "Are pirates bad?" he asked, inquisitive as always.

"Some are," she replied "but some are good men"

"Is father a good pirate?"

"Yes," she said with a twinge of longing at the thought "A good man and a good pirate"

William thought for a second, but was not silent for long.

"How about Captain Jack Sparrow?" he asked, remembering the infamous title of his childhood hero.

"Him too," Elizabeth replied as she pushed herself through a cluster of people.

"I'd like to meet a pirate someday." He said dreamily

Elizabeth smiled silently at this as she remembered thinking that herself. How long ago it seemed! She was a completely different person then. A child, sheltered from the world of adventure but with every intention of making it her own if she ever had the chance. Was it really all she hoped it would be?

The crowds were unbearable, being thrown up against countless dirty strangers. At one point Elizabeth and William were pinned up on either side. On Elizabeth's end an older man looked down upon her and showed a nasty, evil smile. His teeth were rotting and the odor made her gag as he looked her up and down mischievously. She shot him the most disgusted look she could bear and scoffed herself away. The life of an eternally single mother was wearisome. And lonely.

Elizabeth wasn't sure just how much of this claustrophobic travelling she could handle. As they were making their way passed the dock, she took the chance and made an exit onto the more spacious area. A steady but sparse traffic of sailors continued behind her as she took a seat on the edge of the wood and set William down next to her.

"There," she said with an exasperated sigh that seemed like her first breath of air since they started there. "How about we sit for a bit then?"

She hung her toes in the water and listened to the waves rock beneath her. The smell of the sea was refreshing to her. It still gave her a thrill, reminding her of the past.

"Mother," William began in a whiny tone "Mother, I'm hot." He pouted.

She pulled a piece of his brown hair out of his face and adjust his three cornered hat.

"I know, dear. But we'll be home soon and Mrs. Darlington will get you a glass of lemonade if you ask _real _nice."

"Would she?" he exclaimed.

"I'm sure of it" Elizabeth affirmed, pinching his cheek playfully. The two giggled joyfully as the Caribbean heat drenched their skin.

Just then, down the dock someone unbeknownst to them heard their laugh. It caught his ear and he turned on his heel with a curious expression. He knew that laugh. He looked around inquisitively searching for its owner. He didn't honestly expect to find who he thought it to be. After all it had been, what, five years? And with such a horrid string of luck that this captain had been having, finding someone he'd hoped to find for so long seemed so very unlikely. However, as he listened closely and walked towards it, through the other sailors, he saw her, laughing as he had always remembered. He grinned, the grin only he could grin, and made his way towards her.

Something in his footsteps made Elizabeth turn and look. They were louder then all the others and with more purpose. And coming in her direction. Slowly she turned from William and looked up behind her. There he was in all his glory.

"Ello love" he said with a smile.

Elizabeth just stared at him in astonishment for a moment. Then a smile came to her face.

"Jack Sparrow!" she exclaimed and jumped to her feet, so happy to recognize a familiar face in the mass crowd. Quickly she grasped her old friend in a hug.

"Mother!" William shouted, tugging on her blouse, not used to fighting for her attention "Mother is that- is that- _Captain Jack Sparrow_?" he said in awe.

Jack was delighted, amused to hear this. "You've trained him well!" he beamed at the young child.

Elizabeth leaned down to him. "Yes, William. At last you get to meet a real pirate. Just like you wanted!" she smiled at his excitement. Gently she pushed him forward a little with her hand on his back.

"Well introduce yourself," she said to him.

He took a big gasp of air, like he might choke on the words otherwise.

"I'm William Turner the third, and _you're_ Captain Jack Sparrow! Mother tells me quite a lot about you. She says your one of the best pirates in the Caribbean!" he said proudly, each word nearly bursting with excitement.

Elizabeth softly blushed and laughed at the introduction.

"The entire _world_, mate" He corrected with pleasure.

"So what brings the likes of you here?" Elizabeth asked.

"This is one of the largest market places on these waters." He explained "We need food. And rum. And a lot of bloody other things."

"Like what?" Elizabeth inquired curiously. William played with her hands restlessly while she spoke.

"That first mate of mine went done run off last time we made port and none of these lubbers around anymore know the stern from the bow!" he elaborated.

"Where's Gibbs?"

"Tortuga, drinking. Retirement as it were." He said mournfully.

"No!" Elizabeth exclaimed. Jack nodded his head in defeat.

William tugged on her arm and whined of the heat. She shushed him quietly.

"Well I'm sorry to hear of your misfortunes Jack. I wish I could help more but I really must be going. William is getting restless." Jack had no response but his face showed inner turmoil, pensively thinking of something else.

She hoisted the child up into her arms with a sigh. "It was good seeing you though."

"Wait!" Jack stopped her. "Perhaps you could be of help."

Elizabeth judged his face and tone of voice suspiciously and she instantly knew what he meant.

"Jack.." she said with caution

He smiled and her comprehension.

"William Turner the third," he addressed the little boy "Would you like to live on a real pirate ship? Be a part of the crew, eh?"

"Jack!" Elizabeth scolded "You can't just-"

"Oh boy!" William cut her off, squirming fiercely out of her grasp "would I!"

Jack leaned over to be eye level with the boy. "Why don't you go check the _Pearl_ then? Just tell Pintel who you are." He said pushing him towards the ship.

"Tell who?" he asked, looking back.

"Scurry on then!"

William looked at Elizabeth then, very confused. She nodded him on, affirming her approval as it gave her and the captain a moment to talk. As her boy left she shifted her gaze to Jack.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting a first mate!" he said as if it was absurd to question the matter.

"I'm a mother now, Jack. I've moved past that." She explained viciously "I have a life here."

"Once a pirate, always a pirate. And a good one too. I won't let you waste that on a lonely life on land."

"Wh- What?" she snapped, offended "Who says I'm lonely?"

Jack smirked a little and gave her a knowing glance, like he was too good for words. Elizabeth scoffed.

"I have a child to keep me company. A child who does not belong on a pirate ship!"

Gravely, Jack shook his head. "You can't keep him from the life he's meant to live, love."

At this, Elizabeth stopped and looked to her boy, her dearest care in life. He ran his fingers across the ship's boards, completely captivated by it. She breathed a sigh, knowing he was right. She wanted a better life for William, but how much of him could she really control? If he was destined to following in his parents' stead, could she really stop him?

Jack seemed to see all these thoughts fly through her mind and he smiled and swayed in his victory.

"We leave at dawn."


	3. Out of Her Mind

"So you just went with him? Up and left?" Will demanded to know.

"Not exactly…" Elizabeth said trying to express herself. When it all happened it seemed as though it all made sense. She played with her hands uncertainly.

"And you just took our son, as a four year old, onto a pirate ship? Were you out of your mind?" he asked harshly.

Elizabeth tried to let his questioning of her sanity roll off her back. She bit her lip with irritation.

"Oh don't act so disgusted. After all, what's your trade, _Captain_ Turner? You and I are no better then any other pirates. And William, he's bound to do the same thing. It was in his best interest to see pirating done the right way."

Will narrowed his eyes skeptically.

"With honor." She added.

He sighed.

"Besides. When I'm left alone, to raise him by myself, you have no right to question my decisions."

"Like I had a choice Elizabeth!" he shouted "You think I wouldn't rather be with you and my son? I mean… He is my son, after all, isn't he?" he asked with a flesh burning spite.

Elizabeth's face burned hot with resentment and embarrassment. _But why_, she asked herself. _Why do I feel so ashamed? Do I really regret what I've done? _She had promised herself she would show Will no begging for mercy. Her only aim was to tell the truth and hope for the best.

The silence with his final words still hovered around them painfully until at last, Elizabeth spoke up again.

"May I continue?" she said dimly.

He nodded.

"Out of my mind." She repeated to him "yes, that's what Mrs. Darlington said too… in this very room…"

"Who?" Will asked curiously.

"She's my neighbor, landlord, the mother I never had, and God sent savior. She gave me all this for next to nothing" she explained, looking around the room "and she helped me raise William. When I told her of my meeting with Jack, she also thought I'd lost it… Maybe I had"

"Are you out of your bloody mind?" Mrs Darlington exclaimed in her rough English accent. Her bewildered expression matched her graying, frizzy hair.

Elizabeth, fuming and flustered, paced in front her neighbor who stood still, watching her go back and forth. Despite the young woman's current distressed state of mind, her beauty still popped unexpectedly next to the worn and hard older woman. Elizabeth pointedly stopped and faced Mrs. Darlington.

`"Am I?" she anxiously considered.

"Izzie," Mrs. Darlington eased, putting a hand on her shoulder and leading her to the kitchen table to sit. "You don't afta go. You've made no promise to anyone."

"_I know that_" said she, rolling her eyes, a bit indignant at the indication that she was acting purely on the will of Jack Sparrow.

"Then don't go!" Mrs. Darlington almost pleaded.

"But what if I want to?" Elizabeth bravely suggested. Mrs. Darlington was aghast.

"You are a mother now, Izzie!" she lectured "You are no longer a child. You don't 'ave the luxury of personal desires!"

Elizabeth seriously thought over this, and to Mrs. Darlington's great dismay, she had inadvertently persuaded her to do the opposite of her bidding. Mrs. Darlington had made it all too apparent what little freedom she possessed. How had she let herself get this far? When had she last considered what _she _wanted? Elizabeth stood up firmly with her jaw clenched and made her answer absolute.

"I'm going" She announced in the disappointing voice that Mrs. Darlington knew she could not dissuade. The old woman let her shoulders fall in defeat. She shook her head.

There was a tentative silence as Elizabeth waited for her response. She expected outrage, rejection, or more lectures, but none came as quickly as she would have imagined. With an extended sigh, Mrs. Darlington gradually stood up.

"Well then," said she at long last in an exasperated tone. "I think you'll need some sponge cake for your journey, no?"

Out of the many reactions to choose from, this one was quite the most absurd. Elizabeth didn't comprehend. She twisted her face into a befuddled expression.

"Wh-?"

"I know it won't last you long, but food on the water can be awfully 'arsh and I'm sure my sponge cake is better then any sailor grub you'll find between 'ere and England..."

Silence.

" Don't you agree?"

Finally, Elizabeth recognized her kindness and let out a joyful laugh and kissed Mrs. Darlington on the cheek.

"Thank you" she sincerely replied "And _of course_ I agree. I'd be mad not to."

-

-

-

**A/N: Sorry so short! I hope it wasn't too dull. I really meant to write more, but I'm afriad my writer's block will last some more and I didn't want to leave anyone hanging. New chapter soon I hope. I just need to get my thoughts back :)**


	4. Elizabeth's Unquestionable Arrival

When he saw her walking down the dock, child in arms, through the fog, he didn't show the least bit of surprise. Only a smile filled his face as he greeted her. Though Elizabeth argued her free will, the possibility of her not appearing seemed to be more and more non-existent.

"Good morning" he greeted.

"Where would you like him?" was all she said in response.

"Follow me, love" Jack said turning towards the Black Pearl.

Elizabeth did just that, following his course up onto the deck. Peering through the fog along the way, the environment of an all-male crew intimidated her, though she never would admit it. What could she expect of them? It seemed that Jack had all new sailors. Who could say they'd be as respectful as others? A few men hung from the rigging, like monkeys in an exotic forest. She could see that as she boarded they stopped to look but she cared not to take notice. A very tall and grizzly man to her left also caught her attention with his height alone. Another caught her eye as well. However he couldn't have been taller then Elizabeth herself and seemed too refined to be on a pirate ship. She was all too taken in by her surroundings to foresee her first welcome.

Still on deck, a crossing sailor with burnt auburn hair and a scraggly beard stopped in his tracks at the sight of her. He looked her up and down.

"Oo hoo hoo hoo, Jacky!" the man let out a roaring cackle. "Where'd you get this here _fine _treasure?"

"Watch it, sir." Elizabeth sharply scolded. She hid her fear well with false strength, yet she couldn't help but tighten her grip on William anxiously.

The sailor cackled yet again. "Not to worry ye, Lassy. I mean no harm. Jacky says you was a good pirate and wot not, but he forgot to mention yer beauty."

Elizabeth shot a glance to Jack who made eye contact but no response, then back again to the goony sailor. "I wouldn't expect the Captain to find significance in anything beyond my skills."

Another cackle, wheezier then before. "Oo, hoo, hoo…That's where you're wrong, lassy."

"Alrighty then!" Jack _finally _interjected, as if it were a matter of urgency. "Shall we continue then?"

Elizabeth looked from Jack to the man and then back again suspiciously. Silence for a brief moment.

"Of course, but first I'd like to introduce myself" the sailor said, whipping off his ragged bandanna and offering Elizabeth his dirty hand with a rottenly pleasant grin. "The name is Bellamy"

Elizabeth still kept her eyes on him intently while cautiously slipping him her hand, only for the sake of good manners.

"Elizabeth" she introduced herself.

"Tis a pleasure, Elizabeth" Bellamy said with a bow and then turned on his way.

Jack was already walking down to the lower deck when Elizabeth remembered to follow. It grew stuffy and moist below as she carefully stepped behind him. Sailors flooded the level, loudly moving barrels and carts to their appropriate locations. Already they were dripping with sweat, despite the slight morning coolness.

"You'll be down in the lower deck with the rest of the crew" Jack began, loud enough to be heard "towards the back, there's space towards the far side of the cannons."

They reached the area he talked about where two hammocks were already hung, waiting for her unquestionable arrival. "That'll be space enough for your wee one, I figure" said Jack who leaned casually up against the wooden beam while Elizabeth gently laid William down on the hammock and set her satchel on the floor next to him. The little boy curled right up without ever being stirred. Jack watched as she pulled the hair from his soft face and kissed his cheek. Certain he was comfortable; she at last stood up again.

"Of course," Jack continued again, but more playfully "if you ever needed more room I'd certainly be willing to offer you lodgings in my quarters-"

"This'll be fine, thank you." Elizabeth said indisputably.

He laughed softly under his breath with an irrepressible grin. Elizabeth found no humor and stood unyielding.

"Well then," he began again, clearing his throat, as he turned to leave "We'll be off in a few minutes, we'll need you on deck-"

"Jack," Elizabeth interjected "I hate to ask it, but… my knickers. I don't have them anymore and this attire isn't hardly suitable for a ship."

"Ah hah!" he smiled, turning towards her again "Can't wait to take our clothes off, can we?"

She shook her head in disgust to try and hide that he almost made her laugh.

"Jack-"

"Under your hammock." He said dismissively as he started to walk away.

Elizabeth ducked to look under, and just as he said, there laid an outfit, patiently waiting for her to be there to use them- yet another certainty that she would decide to come. Quickly Elizabeth stood back up too look for Jack. He was already making his way up the stairs, leaving her in awe with nothing else to do but shake her head in disbelief.


	5. What's In A Name?

**So I didn't take the time I normally do to dot my I's and cross my T's because I'm so very excited to publish this chapter! Hopefully it'll be a success! Let me know what you think :)**

THUD.

"Look what you done'd now, Ragetti! Ya woke the lad up!"

William sat up in his hammock, curiously looking around the lower deck, with no memory of how he got there. There were two "men" on the other side of a cannon in front of him. The fatter one of the two, exasperated, dropped a cannon ball he was holding onto the ground. THUD.

"I didn't do it, _you_ did!" The skinny one said.

"What?"

"It was your idea!"

"Who _are_ you?" William asked.

Both of them quit bickering and turned to look at the point of the discussion: the awakened child.

"Well I'm Pintel and this here is Ragetti." The fat one said "…and you're the boy from yestaday. William Turner the Third I believe it is?"

He nodded uncertainly. "Where am I? Where's mother?"

"You're on the Black Pearl- the fastest ship in whole Spanish Main!" Pintel added to show how exciting it was. However, this little boy needn't be told this bit of information as the ship already held a high position in his regards.

"_Captain Jack Sparrow's _ship!?" he asked, suddenly beaming with enthusiasm "Yes that's right! Mother said we were coming on a ship. A ship! A _real_ pirate ship!" Then with that, the boy was up and running around the deck, exploring every morsel of it.

Ragetti giggled mischievously while meddling with his fingers. "Its rather nice to hear so much excitement about our profession, don't ya think? We're downright adventuresome chaps."

Pintel giggled back. "It is kinda nice, iddint it?"

"What's this do?" the little boy's voice echoed loudly against metal.

Pintel and Ragetti turned around to the voice and found the boy with his head buried in the opening of a cannon. With a gasp of alarm the two ran over to him.

"Boy that looks like fun!" Pintel exclaimed.

"Why aven't we thought of this before?" Ragetti added

Elizabeth entered the Captain's quarters in her new attire to begin her new position. Jack stood over a map that took up a large portion of the long dining table. Bellamy was at his side chattering about something inaudibly. The tall man Elizabeth had seen before left as she entered. He gave her a long look this time, leaving her with imprinted image of his bearded face and permanent scowl. Coldness ran over her and it took a moment to shake off.

"Elizabeth!" Jack welcomed "It's about time."

As Elizabeth came closer to also look over the drawing, Bellamy kept talking.

"Surprise, that's our weapon. And the only one wee's got so it'd better work. Ye have a plan for otherwise?"

Jack's eyes stayed contortedly fixed on the same small images on the paper. For some time he didn't answer, thinking.

"Captain," a man, well built and handsome, but with a weary face, stood at the door with a sorry expression "Oliver and the General are at it again."

Jack looked up but made no response. Bellamy burst out cackling.

"Bloody hell!" he exclaimed in between chuckles.

"Go get them." Jack ordered Bellamy.

"Course, Captain" He said, repressing the laugh, and exited with the man at the door.

Silence suddenly filled the room as only Jack and Elizabeth were left. Jack paid no attention to her but kept his eyes nailed to the map moving his finger along different parts of it over and over again. At last, Elizabeth tried to speak up.

"Where are we heading, Jack?" she asked.

Without even looking up he responded, "That market of yours had everything but bloody ammunition. We're going to reload in Cambridge."

"Cambridge?" Elizabeth exclaimed at the unlikely name "That's a Royal port, not to mention its strong affiliation with the East India Trading-"

"You think I don't know that?" He said finally standing up to look at her.

"…Then what are you after?"

"Ammunition." He repeated curtly as he hunched back over to the map.

She thought for a moment. He'd walk the gallows before he bought from the East India Trading Company. No, the only possible explanation—

"You're mad!" she said at the apprehension.

"Now you're catching on" he said, looking up at her with a charming grin of approval.

"…But-"

"All taken care of, Jacky" Bellamy said leaning in the room.

"Fine work. Now would you please take Elizabeth and introduce her to the crew?"

"Very well!" Bellamy said cheerfully. Elizabeth, on the other hand, had no intention of leaving. She thought to say something, ask for him to explain, but she knew the words would do no good. So after a moment's hesitation, she had no choice but to follow.

Stepping into the now blinding sunlight, she joined Bellamy and the handsome, weary man from before.

"Good to see ye again, lassy. This here is Thatch, best man with the tools he is. Fix anyfin yer wee heart could desire. Good man." He said with a pat on his back.

Thatch held out his hand to Elizabeth. "Its an honor, Miss Elizabeth."

"Just Elizabeth, please" she smiled at his decent manners. It was obvious he hadn't been on a pirate ship too long. She took his rough hand with her own and smiled again. "It's a pleasure."

"Awright. Thatch, if ye don't mind we'll be on our way." Bellamy said as he started to walk up the stairs to the helm, waiting for no reply. Thatch nodded and Elizabeth quickly took off to keep up.

Standing at the stern they had a full view of the ship and most of its occupants.

"Here at the wheel we have Lysander. His bucket is done full of piss and rum I reckon." He said in a hushed voice, as to not be heard.

"What!?" Elizabeth responded without thought.

"He'll give you a 'ard time but don't take it to heart." Bellamy said in plain terms.

"Oh, okay… thanks."

"See the geezer at the bow a sittin?"

She scanned the whereabouts and spotted an aged, plump man sitting on a barrel with a frown imbedded in his wrinkles.

"That's General. Nobody knows if he ever was a General or who for. Or if that's his real name! Apparently he's spent is ole life on board a ship, but ye'd never know it- he 'ardly does anythin. I figger he think he's earned it."

Elizabeth, not knowing how to reply, laughed a little and nodded.

"The bloke over there with the smug face and fancy clothes? That's Oliver. He don't speak a bit of English, only French. 'Im and General duke it out from time to time because General is discriminate and wot not to the French and Oliver don't know a word he's saying."

Elizabeth's face contorted into a "you've got to be kidding me" expression.

"It's bloody entertaining to watch em go at it!" Bellamy laughed. "Now, over yonder, the tall bearded fellow sharpening his sword? That is Fowler. Man don't know nothing beyond the hunt. Give 'im a chance and he'd be more then happy to chop up any one. I wouldn't get on his nerves, no, but he done good in battle."

There was nothing to be said about Fowler on Elizabeth's half. She kept her eyes on him, watching him. There was something there, but she couldn't place what.

"Oh!" Bellamy exclaimed, interrupting Elizabeth's thoughts "another chap you must meet at some point Is Theodore. He's the cook. A bit skittish, that one. Not much of a pirate but he makes a mean soup! He acts like he's afraid of the likes of us but we all know he's got a soft spot in him heart for us all!" Again, Bellamy's cackling laugh filled the air. "Oh, Theodore!"

"Bellamy," Elizabeth began pensively, making it obvious she had been thinking hard on something else while he talked. "You know so much about all these men. Why aren't you first mate?"

He laughed again, which came to no surprise at this point. "I know people and names is my specialty. But a ship? I don't know the nautical terms right and thinkin up a plan is lost in mine mind. I'm Jacky's friend so he keeps me around. But not for anything professional."

Elizabeth nodded. "I can't say I'm too fine either." She confessed.

"Well your done better then any lad on this ship, I can tell ye that. Jacky says you've quite the record as a pirate in these her e parts." Elizabeth smiled slightly but couldn't own up to it. "Ya know, Elizabeth isn't much of a pirate name, is it?"

"Well—"

"How bout Bloody Beth, eh?"

Elizabeth laughed at the idea. "No, Elizabeth is fine."

"Or Liza the Cutthroat? Oo hoo, that's a good one, that is."

"No I don't think-"

"Not even Liz? Izzie? Lizzie?"

"No!" Elizabeth laughed "Oh God, no. I hate those names."

"You mean no one has ever called you by a nickname? Alias?" Bellamy asked, aghast at such a possibility.

"Well of course they have. I only tolerate it with certain people, however."

"Ah," he said, relieved "such as…?"

"Well my neighbor back home calls me Izzie. She's like my mother so-"

"Lizzie! Bellamy!" Jack shouted joyfully from the top of the stairs, map in hand, big grin on his face. Elizabeth's heart jumped at it. _Of course,_ his timing couldn't have been more perfectly awful. "Down to my office!" he said with a wave of his hand. Without waiting he turned and hopped down the stairs. "I've got it, I've got it, I've got it, I've…"

Bellamy and Elizabeth watched him go down the stairs in silence for a moment. A moment of dread for Elizabeth, for all she could do was imagine what Bellamy thought. Then at last, as she knew it would happen, he turned to her and grinned wildly. "_Lizzie_, eh?"


	6. Justice?

The attack wasn't to take place until nightfall, but the Black Pearl arrived at Port Cambridge just before dawn the morning before. So with the leisure of time, they waited around the side of the mountain for the mighty ship _Implacable_ to set sail at twilight.

Elizabeth awakened at dawn and walked into the golden, fresh air on deck. The sea was calm and the sun was hopeful. She hugged herself tightly and breathed in the moment. She had longed for this ever since she left five years prior and her desire was fulfilled with bliss. _What was the word for this contentment?_, she thought. _Home_, _this is home._

"And you thought you could miss this." Jack interrupted her thoughts, though he was astonishingly exact. He was standing at her side though she hadn't noticed him before. His smile equaled the golden tint the dawn left on all things.

"Be glad I know you so well" he boasted merrily.

"Don't be so certain," Elizabeth argued cynically. "A great deal can change in five years."

He confidently turned to her and looked her straight in the eyes, so it was almost too direct, like he could see through her attempts of defiance. He grinned and shook his head.

"The horizon is still the same, is it not?"

Elizabeth hesitated. She wanted so much to challenge him, prove him wrong, but there was that homely feeling she had just discovered and she was certain the horizon had something to do with it. She couldn't bring herself to contradict that. There was no justification.

"Yes, but-"

"There are some things, love, that won't ever change."

Silent eye contact between the two lasted for a brief moment before he turned away and left her with his words still lingering.

_Home_, she thought.

* * *

Under any other circumstances they may have left the ship to explore the port, but their presence was to be strictly unknown to those ashore. Like Bellamy said, "surprise is the only weapon wees got." Therefore, the crew had to stay on board all day long.

Elizabeth sat on a barrel towards the bow with a pair of William's pants on her lap that she was stitching a tear in. The sun was almost at its peak in the sky with heat thrashing down on all of those below. She kept her hair tied back tight, but she could still feel the sweat it made on her neck. Thatch, a few feet away, leaned over the edge with a bucket on a string. He reeled it in, full of water, and dumped it all over himself with a splash. The spray of it hit Elizabeth, who also found it refreshing. Continuing with her work, she pulled the thread through the last stitch, then tied off and cut it. She held the raggedy pants out in front of her and admired her work.

At that moment, a train composed of Pintel, Ragetti, and William came flying on deck. Pintel was carrying a cannon and Ragetti was carrying two.

"William!" Elizabeth called out pleasantly.

He continued following them, up the stairs to the helm without taking any notice to her. Elizabeth's jaw dropped in astonishment at being so ignored. She stood up from the barrel and yelled louder.

"William Turner!"

He stopped half way up the stairs and turned around. Even some of the crew members going about their daily lives stopped in their tracks at the sound of her voice.

"Hi mother!" he cheered innocently.

"Get over here, right now!" she demanded.

"_Come on!"_ Raggetti nagged unknowingly. Elizabeth was even more shocked.

"Raggetti!" she scolded in disbelief.

"Oh," he said, suddenly very fidgety and nervous. He cleared his throat "Um- Sorry ma'm."

William, without his happiness faltering at the scene, ran over to his mother and hugged her leg.

"Hi mother" he said again with a grin, looking up at her. Her anger cooled a bit with his hug and she couldn't resist loving his darling face. She sat back down again and hoisted him onto her lap.

"Are you having fun?" she asked sadly.

"Oh yes" he said with a jolt of excitement that made him bounce up and down on her lap.

"That's good" she said, kissing his forehead. She held his face in her palm adoringly and smiled at how lovable he was… and how each day she saw a different aspect of his father in him. Each day, he lost something that once made him an infant. He was growing up.

He giggled for what seemed like no reason.

"Can I go play now, mother?"

"Yes I suppose. Don't get yourself into any trouble, alright?"

He nodded and squirmed off her lap.

"You really like being with Pintel and Ragetti?" she asked desperately.

He giggled again and stood on his tippy toes to whisper in her ear the most fascinating and secretive news: "They're _pirates_!"

Elizabeth chuckled at his little secret as well. "If you can call them that..."

Without another word, he ran off smiling to follow his two _pirate_ friends.

With a sigh, Elizabeth returned to her work.

"Too fast, isn't it?" said Thatcher from behind her.

She turned around quickly.

"Beg pardon?"

He set the ropes he had been working on, on the hook and leaned against the edge of the ship.

"I couldn't help but remember what it's like. One minute, you can't keep them away from your arms. The next you can't hold them still." He talked whimsical, yet plain. He had a dreamy intonation, but with an earthly grind.

Elizabeth smiled.

"You have children?" she asked delightfully.

He smiled sadly.

"Used to."

Awkwardness and shock hit Elizabeth at realizing her folly.

"Forgive me, I didn't-"

"Don't worry about it" he said with a painful smile.

There was an uncomfortable moment where neither could make eye contact. Finally, Elizabeth found the courage to ask, though in a quiet and cautious voice, "How many?"

"Two," he said, "Two girls."

"Girls," Elizabeth smiled. "I can't imagine. It must be a world of a difference."

There was another silence as the young man rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"At this point," he began uncertainly "it would be rude of me to not explain, I suppose."

Elizabeth did not agree nor disagree, but left it up to him to decide.

"Back during the EITC hangings, I travelled on a passage that sailed through Tortuga. I was working for a ship-making company and we only made port there for a night."

His face held a painful expression as he retold the story and his eyes drifted passed her face. Elizabeth seemed frozen with fear as she considered what misfortunes could have crossed this agreeable man.

"Within a fortnight, my family and I were arrested for piracy on false charges and due to be hung without a trial. They separated me from my wife and beloved girls and imprisoned us in separate quarters. Lysander, bless the lad, was a guard in my prison. He was the only one with sense there. The hangings had troubled him some time so with his resignation from employment, he set me and several other lads free. The first chance I got, I went to free my family." There was a pause as he relived the moment of its occurrence. "However, I was only in time to see them loaded in coffins and thrown to the dark sea."

Elizabeth found herself swallowing unwelcome tears.

"Amy was only two and Wynnie was two weeks shy of her fifth birthday… As innocent as can be…"

"That's awful," she said, nearly choking on the words. "I couldn't fathom losing a child."

He sighed heavily and at last Elizabeth could see how the years had come too quick to this young man's composure. Despite experiencing tragedies for a lifetime, he couldn't have been older then Elizabeth.

"Yes, well I pray you never have to," he said sweetly.

Elizabeth nodded her head appreciatively and there was another silence where the right words were hard to come by. She was tempted to share her own experience with the East India Trading Company, but she wasn't sure how'd it'd all sound or how she'd be able to explain it to someone who hadn't been there or hadn't seen the wrath of Lord Cutler Beckett. But then she realized that, though she may never find someone who completely understood what she lost, perhaps this man was as close as it got.

"My father was killed by Lord Beckett of the East India Trading Company for no reason whatsoever." She talked rapidly. "And I fought against the armada with the pirates where Lord Beckett paid for his sins. But in that same battle, through a series of… _unexplainable_ occurrences, my husband was taken from me and I was left alone to raise this son of mine," she finished with a sigh.

"Good God!" Thatch exclaimed "You have been through hell yourself."

Elizabeth recoiled a bit after exposing so much of herself to a man she hardly knew. And her explanation came out so ambiguous and misleading that she could have sworn Jack has planted it on her lips.

"He killed your father and your husband?" Thatch attempted to clarify.

"My father, yes. But my husband…" her voice trailed off as she replayed the scene in her head. The clashing swords, the rain, Davy Jones himself, a dismembered beating heart, how he faded away but rose again. Elizabeth was never one for tall tales and it seemed there was no way to explain this in a believable fashion. "Something like that, yes."

"But you said this man got what he deserved?"

She nodded solemnly.

"Yes."

"Isn't that a relief?" He asked anxiously. "I would give anything to know that the man who sentenced my blessed girls was dead. Someone as evil as he is does not deserve to live." Thatcher still kept his voice low, but there was a fierce hatred that had not been there before. It was almost unnerving to Elizabeth.

"He_ did_ deserve it. But, it didn't bring either of them back, Thatcher. Nothing will." She said sympathetically to the tormented man.

"I'm not looking for recompense!" he spat fervently as he pushed himself from his defeated position against the ship and stood tall. "I'm looking for _justice_."

Elizabeth sat in awe of his sudden rage. She furrowed her brow skeptically, and then stood up to his level.

"There is a _fine_ line between justice and revenge, sir," she spoke firmly, "Be sure you choose the road that would make your girls proud."

Elizabeth then turned from him and left him quickly with her words still lingering in the air around him like Jack had done to her. Only, her words meant nothing so pleasing as home.

**A/N: Sorry its been so long. But I have an idea where its all going now, so the story should start moving along. I know there's still a lot you don't know about the "attack" and ect, ect, but that'll all be revealed in time. **

** What's In A Name?: For some foreshadowing or insight on all that's happened so far, I encourage you to look up some of these character names' meanings on for clues. This isn't necessary, of course, but you may find it interesting. Also, this will only work for the characters that I have created. Let me know what you think :)**


	7. Raid!

As the sun dimmed at the horizon, the crew fell into preparations for the attack. Elizabeth found it hard to believe how easily she fit into the boots of a full time pirate. She had thought she had lost that part of her completely. There once was a fiery, resolute young woman who led an armada as Pirate King against the East India Trading Company and _succeeded_! Elizabeth was conscious, of course, that she was the woman; but still it felt as though she were an entirely separate person. When she boarded the _Pearl_ that early morning before dawn, she was a mother and a peaceful, simple woman. However, it only took her five days to transform into her former self from near five years prior. As she stood comfortably in her pirate boots on deck of the _Black Pearl_ that day, she felt as if nothing had changed. The only proof that there had even been a time lapse was the little boy who scurried around deck.

"There," she said to Jack as she peered through a telescope. A bulky dark ship came into view sailing around the side of the mountain, leaving Port Cambridge and heading their way. He came up close behind her to take the telescope. "Ello, love" he said to the ship, smiling.

"It's bigger then I expected." Elizabeth noted uneasily.

"Of course she is," said Jack. "That's why she can only dock at certain ports."

He removed the telescope from his eye and handed it back over. "And we have to be _everywhere_ on her."

The _Implacable_ was her name. She was widely known to carry supplies for England- and even the ever growing East India Trading Company from time to time. But what supplies? Jack had gotten some clarification from a man back at Elizabeth's home that the _Implacable_ would be sailing off loaded with armory. She was a prime target; but holding up a ship, raiding all of its cargo, and having coverage on all sections of the vessel while possessing no ammunition to speak of was quite the task.

However, Jack, as always, had a (daft, crazy, improbable) plan.

Unbelievably, it all fell into place the way he explained, though Elizabeth was sure something would go wrong. Thatch had eagerly volunteered himself to kill a guard and take his place aboard the ship and Lysander followed him to do the same. Their responsibility was to gain control of the lowest level of the ship without the rest of the ship knowing. Then, a few sailors, including Fowler, would jump from their hiding spot on the ledge along the hill. As soon as they boarded, they had to gain control of the upper deck. Then at last, the remaining crew members would board and take the ship completely… assuming the other jobs were taken care of, which was a lot to ask for.

As they boarded the ship, they were greeted with a completely slaughtered English crew. Blood soaked the dark wood and bodies almost covered the deck. There was not a single man alive on deck accept the three pirates who did the deed. Elizabeth looked around in awe and disgust. Then her stare shot at Fowler.

"Was this really necessary?!" she reprimanded.

He grinned smugly and winked- this gesture making Elizabeth cringe.

Jack fell into place behind Elizabeth and took in the same sight. At first he had to catch his breath before he uncertainly found the right words.

"…Good work, lads." He said finally.

Fowler nodded proudly.

"Just doin my job, Captain" said Fowler to Jack while keeping his stare on Elizabeth.

Jack crept around the entanglement of bodies, carefully investigating the remains. Elizabeth watched in repulsion as he stopped over a certain body.

"You'll do just fine" Jack said, bending down and gripping the corpse. Even he grimaced as he hoisted the body up and walked it over to Fowler.

"There ya go" he said, shoving it into his big grizzly hands. "Hold your prize with pride."

"What's this?"

"Now," Jack said, stepping back and admiring his work. "Hold him upright. Put your dagger to his neck."

Fowler obeyed hesitantly.

"Yes, yes. Now scowl."

"_Scowl_, Captain?"

"You heard me, now do it. Show me those pearly whites!"

He was uncertain of course. But slowly Fowler contorted his expression into his best scowl, teeth clenched, brow furrowed madly. Jack's face lit up with joy.

"Parfait!" said Jack with a French accent. "Now," back in English, "let's show it off."

A handkerchief was wrapped around the deceased's head and silently the crew crept down to the lower deck. The pirates were all a bit taken back by the environment. While a cargo ship was expected to have a rough interior, this one was sleek and well kept. Ropes, barrels, and rum bottles were not thrown about, but placed aside in a disgustingly, organized manner.

The crew walked around the silent deck cautiously, as if they had entered a foreign world. Fowler still carried to corpse with no hesitation. No other people could be found.

"Jack?" Elizabeth finally asked.

"Bloody hell, what is this?" asked an equally perturbed sailor.

Jack didn't respond but continued to look quizzically for some sort of explanation. The main focus of the room, it seemed, was a door at the opposite wall facing them. There was also the stairwell to the right. Then to the left, a few finely designed chairs were set up neatly in a manner for good conversation. The last scene made Jack do a double take.

"Ye have a plan, Jackie?" asked Bellamy a bit anxiously.

Jack swallowed hard and sighed.

"That door," he said in a low voice, pointing ahead of them."We're to go through that door. Half of us, anyways. The other have should go down stairs and find Thatch and Lysander."

The group divided as he said, leaving Jack, Elizabeth, Fowler, and a few others to follow Jack to the door.

"Now," he said "Please, save your aggression for a more appropriate moment? I want these men alive."

Fowler sighed.

"Alright," Jack said with a smile. "Let's go."

* * *

Dinner. They were eating dinner.

As the crew entered the room, corpse in hand, swords drawn, faces fierce, they were met with a large table of half a dozen plump men in wigs eating their dinner.

With a loud clamor of chairs, swords, yelling, and surprise, the pirates bound each man with rope and held their swords to their throats.

"Silence!" Jack yelled amidst the chaos. "Silence! Or he'll kill the man!" he said directing their attention towards Fowler. Almost forgetting his charade, the oaf had to snap into place.

"What do you want?" cried a man towards the back.

"Your cargo," Jack said simply.

Overall there seemed to be a sigh of relief- save for one man who shouted out "No! I can't stand the other-"

"Shut it, Jonathon! If that's what they want we'll let them have it."

"Good man," Jack said with a smile.

Near the door they first entered, there was a clamor as a man pushed his way through the clump of pirates and wigged men.

"'Scuse me sirs," said Bellamy as he pawed his way to Jack.

"Jackie," he whispered in a panted breath, "there's a problem."

He leaned in and whispered in his ear. The entire room watched silently and intensely.

"Food?" Jack exclaimed.

"Yes, Captain," Bellamy said bashfully, "Food."

"Here," Jack said, thrusting the man he was holding over to Bellamy.

In a swift moment he had his sword up against the throat of the man who asked what they were after.

"Where's the cargo?"

"Down below," the man trembled, "Take it, take all of it! Just let us be!"

"Where is it?" Jack yelled.

"Where's what? I told you it was below, man!" he pleaded defensively.

"You know bloody well what. The ammunition! Where is it?" Jack demanded. The man was suddenly more bewildered then frightened.

"…Ammunition? We carry food."

"Food?" Jack asked again, hoping the answer would change.

"Yes, food."

"Food…" Jack said contemplatively. "Food, yes… that's what I meant."

"Are you out of your bloody mind, man?" the man asked again in disbelief.

"Most likely," Jack responded dismissively. Looking around the room at the petrified gentlemen and confused pirates, Jack couldn't make sense of a way out other then to follow along. He realized he'd been duped, but his pride could never allow such a defeat to be noticed.

"Alright then, Bellamy," he said loudly and dramatically as if he were an actor on a stage. "Load the grub."

-

-

-

**A/N: The next chapter will be posted within 24 hours, a thank you for your patience and understanding for my absence. So be sure and check back in as soon as possible!! Thank you, again, for reading. :) **


	8. Dancing, Dining, Drinking

Despite the minor misfortune of lack of ammunition, the sailors gleefully loaded the grub on board the _Black Pearl_ in good spirits at the prospect of fresh food. There was laughter and joyful shouting among all the crew- well, _almost_ all the crew.

Bellamy thrived in the happiness and he cheered to the lot of them, "Haul up all them tables from below! We be feastin' tonight!"

The crew cheered in approval and set off to do the task when Jack interrupted their glory.

"Hold it!" he shouted. The lot of them, including Elizabeth, stopped in their tracks. "I did not order this," he said with a slightly trying look to Bellamy.

The crowd was silent in shame, realizing their folly at obeying another man's commands. Jack let the silence prevail as he turned from them and walked away. Slowly, they started to look at each other with questioning and fearful expressions.

"I'm awful hungry," Pintel cautiously whispered at last.

A few murmurs of agreement erupted from among them. Though Jack didn't turn around or acknowledge them, Elizabeth hushed the lot of them.

"Quiet," she ordered. Then in a softer voice she said "I'll take care of this."

Without showing any lack of confidence, Elizabeth left the crew and strode over to the disgruntled Captain. The rest of the pirates pretended to go on about their duties, as if they weren't paying attention.

She mimicked Jack by putting her fists on the wood and looking out across the water. She narrowed her eyes, as if to search for whatever it was he stared at. After a moment she gave up the fake search. Clearly making the point that there was nothing to be seen, she turned to him and asked, "What's wrong?"

He shook his head.

"Why would there be anything wrong?"

"Three new barrels of rum and a shipload of fresh food and you're not celebrating? It doesn't take a genius to notice something wrong."

"We need ammunition!" Jack retorted uneasily.

"Ammunition?" Elizabeth reiterated in disbelief. "Ammunition- as in something available at almost any port?"

"Ammunition- as in something that was supposed to be on that ship!" Jack exclaimed. Elizabeth looked around and noticed a few heads turn away at her glance. Looking back at Jack, she narrowed her eyes skeptically.

"What are you after Jack?" she said softer, digging to the heart of the matter.

He gave her a sideways glance in confident, as opposed to vulnerable, surprise. He didn't respond, respecting the fact that she was too smart for him to play ignorant.

"Now that you mention it," he changed the subject fluently "I _could_ use some rum."

She nodded, accepting his escape.

"Very well. Tell your crew," she said with a smile.

With a smirk he turned to his audience. The entire crew stopped in their tracks and looked to him hopefully. For a moment he said nothing and they wondered if Elizabeth's charm had failed them. It wasn't until he had fully embraced this sense of control that he could relinquish the command.

"Dig in!" He finally directed and the crew sprang to life, dashing around like mad dogs.

Theodore--the puny, sophisticated, and out of place man –was in his prime with so much food to work with. The kitchen was alive with sizzling meats and buzzing aromas. Each sailor's gut groaned with hunger as he walked by it. While the feast was cooked, the sailors worked hard, with bottles in hand, to sail the ship as far as possible from Port Cambridge and the _Implacable._

Elizabeth held her precious William on her hip happily, after what could have been a harsh battle. She hated being separated from him and was elated to be reunited. William was not as concerned with their separation as he was with the excitement. He giggled joyously.

Up from below deck, Oliver- the frilly, foreign, French man- appeared with a violin. Taking the stage near the base of the mast, he broke into a festive song. Instantly Bellamy led a bunch of men into a romp that pounded the wood and shook the rum in their bottles. William bounced in Elizabeth's arms.

"Mother?" he said excitedly.

She kissed his cheek and then set him down on the floorboards.

"Have at it," she said with a relinquishing smile and off he ran to join the growing crowd.

Across the ship, her eyes followed the little boy and were lead to Jack and Thatcher. Both seemed unusually grim. They were talking, but Elizabeth couldn't hear a word. Thatcher raised a fist and she noticed then that they were arguing. How unlike Thatcher! Elizabeth couldn't begin to speculate what they could be talking about, especially since Bellamy soon swept her up into the dance.

It was some foreign tune they danced merrily to; only a few seemed to know it. But it was joyous at that. A bottle of rum was shoved into Elizabeth's hand and how could she resist? The sky was clear and the stars shone bright, enhancing the thrill.

Noticing Jack was looking out at sea again, Elizabeth frolicked over to him and shoved a bottle of rum into his hand. He didn't hesitate at drinking a big gulp down. Elizabeth joined him to encourage the mood.

"Come!" she said tugging at his sleeve, "come dance!"

He stayed in his place with only his arm following, in her grasp.

"I'd rather not, love," he pouted.

"Jack," she pleaded, "Your crew is drinking and dancing and being merry and what are you doing? Looking for the sun? I wager you'll be there a long while if that's what you're after."

He sighed.

"Come," she said with a smile, pulling him more successfully this time, "Let's dance."

Led by the hand, Jack reluctantly followed and took a large, shameless gulp of rum on the way.

**A/N: Let me know what you think! The next chapter should be ready soon, so I hope you check back in. Thanks for reading, as always. **


	9. Unwanted Revealing

When the supplies started to run dry, Elizabeth left the music, laughter, dancing, happiness, drinks, and starlight to retrieve more. Stepping through the threshold to lower deck, it was moist and warm, not nearly as refreshing as the excitement above. It stayed with her as she walked down to the next level, even stuffier, to reach the rum cellar. Her boots creaked against wet floorboards as she walked along, looking for suitable drinks to bring up. She picked one out and looked it over, still humming the tune of the violin. She was so dreamy she didn't even see Fowler enter the room. Without warning he was standing within a foot from her, staring.

"Oh! Fowler!" Elizabeth exclaimed in surprise. "My word, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

She giggled at her reaction, drunkenly giddy. Fowler, however, didn't see any humor. Instead, he moved himself closer yet without losing site of his prey. He eyed her like the men above gazed longingly at the fresh food. When Elizabeth noticed this she choked off her laughter and looked into his fierce eyes. _Serious_, she thought_, he is all too serious_.

"Almost?" he asked mischievously.

"Almost what?" Elizabeth asked, confused.

"I 'almost' gave you a heart attack."

Elizabeth couldn't focus on what he was trying to say. Her head ached.

"Let's see how close we come," Fowler spoke suggestively with a fervent grin that sent a wave of chills through Elizabeth's spine.

Fear struck her suddenly, as all the music and starlight disappeared. As quick as she could think to take action, Elizabeth took a chance at running, but his reflexes were too swift. His broad, rough hands grasped her tightly at the shoulders.

Fury like a wild beast, he pushed her backwards into the side of the ship and laid his lips on her own, more like an attack then an act of affection. The rum bottle smashed against the wood, leaving cuts all over Elizabeth's hand. She squirmed despite the pain and tried to push him off with her forearms, but it was to no avail. She pounded at his chest, but her limbs were heavy and weak from the alcohol. She tried to scream, but he didn't allow her even enough time to breathe. His gruff hands ventured down her bodice and gripped her hips. The pressure was too much to bear and she had no way of stopping it. Her heart pounded till she thought it may explode.

Then at last the pressure was released as Fowler was knocked to the ground with a thud. Elizabeth gasped for air and threw herself to the opposite corner and looked downward fearfully at the crushed man. He hunched over and held his head, cursing every word he could utter. Then above him, in all his glory, was Jack with an ore in hand and an expression most foul.

"Off with you!" Jack commanded fiercely

Fowler, still catering to his wounds on the ground, did not make any response or show any intentions of obeying.

"Off with you, then!" Jack shouted now. Fowler slowly rebuilt his menacing stance and rubbed his head. "Go!"

Fowler glared at Jack and then shot Elizabeth a terrifying glance. "Ah bugger, mate," he growled at Jack, "you only want her for yerself, we all know that."

As he turned to leave, Elizabeth broke free of the fear that bound her and came at him, her good hand held back. Then, with all her strength she punched him in the face. The blow made him stumble a bit, but not near enough for him to lose his balance. His hand went to his bleeding nose and then shot his merciless gaze at the attacker. With wild rage he came back at her with intentions to destroy. Jack jumped in between the two and grabbed Fowler by his collar and pushed him away.

"Go!" Jack commanded. With one last snarl, he spit at Jack's feet before turning and leaving.

With a shake of the hand she punched with and a wince of pain, Elizabeth walked backward into the wall as if to steady herself. She stared dead on with her tear filled eyes. The creaking of the ship was all that could be heard as both were at a loss of words. She tried to talk, but doing so made the tears come quicker. To her dismay, one escaped. Then another and another as she took in what had just happened and, what's worse, what could have happened.

Jack felt her pain, but didn't know what to do. Instinctively, he didn't want to deal with it. It was his nature to flea responsibility, but he found that something had snagged him and he was forced to stay. His boots were nailed to the floorboard.

Vainly, Elizabeth tried wiping the tears that fled. In between tears, blood was spread from her hand across her cheek. Her face grew red with embarrassment. She could not bring herself to make eye contact with Jack. The more he tried, the more she hung her head.

"I'm so sorry Jack," was all she could make out.

He shook his head in sorrowful confusion.

"You're not at fault," said Jack quietly, in an uncharacteristically serious tone.

Bravely, he walked up close to her. The silent tears turned to sobs and she turned away from him and wiped her face, yearning for it to stop, yearning for control. Jack was bothered that she thought she had to hide from him. He reached a hand out to and gently turned her face towards him. He held her cheek in the palm of his hand so that she had to look at him straight on, even though it killed her to do so. Then, at last, she forfeited the inner battle and fell into Jack's arms crying, the true intensity of her distress being unveiled.

**.**

**.**

**.  
**

**A/N: Somewhat like their first meeting, Jack is forced to be the hero for the not-so-damsel-in-distress Elizabeth. Another chapter is on its way, soon I hope. Let me know what you think :)**


	10. You've No Idea

Elizabeth's head throbbed unbearably, sending a wave of pain through her soar body. She sat at the long table in the captain's quarters with an elbow resting on its smooth surface to support her head.

"Gimme your hand," Jack instructed gruffly.

She didn't respond.

"Where's Will- where's my, my William?"

Rolling his eyes, Jack took her hand instead of waiting for her to offer it. From a canteen he dumped water over the cuts that coated her skin. Instinctively she flinched and Jack grasped her hand tight to keep her from pulling it away from the water.

"Sleeping like a dog, not to worry, love," he said calmly.

Another splash of water fell over her open cut, but this time she knew to clench her jaw and bear it. After brief inspection of it to be sure the glass was clear, Jack took a piece of cloth and started to wrap it. That too she had to bear with all the strength she could muster, as the skin was sensitive to the slightest touch.

"Why, why couldn't I fight back? I could have, could have fought him, you know that. Right, Jack? I could fight him."

"You've had one too many, love."

"What?" Elizabeth asked.

"You're drunk," Jack blatantly. "Not that it takes much for you."

"I'm not drunk," she argued.

"Course not." He said with smile as he tied the bandage tight. "There ye go."

Looking at her face, he was reminded of the blood that streaked her cheeks. For an instant Jack imagined himself wiping it off for her, but after looking at his own dirty skin he decided that it'd be sadly ineffective.

"Wipe your face, you're a bloody mess," he said, handing her cloth and setting the canteen on the table, "Literally."

As Elizabeth blindly wiped her cheeks, Jack plopped in the seat opposite her, propping his feet on the table and gulping down some more rum.

On the other side of the door, Jack could hear the party calming down so that voices were barely audible. The violin had been silenced completely. What was he doing here? Why had he not soaked up every bit of celebration he could? It was not his nature to take responsibility for another human being since he rarely took responsibility for himself. A regretful sadness hit his belly. He hated missing the fun and, mainly, the drinking.

After finishing, Elizabeth stood up with a slight stumble to leave. Jack stood up too but made no motion to help her out, unwilling to do so after realizing what she had kept him from.

"Thank you, Jack," she said with a smile

"Just be glad I didn't trust you with the rum," he joked nonchalantly.

She smiled only briefly at it and then recomposed herself to seriousness.

"I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there," she admitted, stepping closer.

He had no response for this, only eyed her movements towards him with slight curiosity.

"Thank you," she said again and leaned in and kissed him. Jack, who had previously considered why he sacrificed a good time to be responsible, was suddenly very aware why he had done so.

A kiss can be innocent to a certain extent. It can be a sign of guiltless gratitude. And at first, that's all Elizabeth's was. Had she pulled away shortly after meeting his lips, perhaps it would have been that way. But she didn't.

They continued to kiss and the rum still burning in her throat made it easy to melt into him. And who was Jack to resist? Each kiss was deeper then the last and Jack's touch was warm around her waist. Elizabeth's longing for affection after such a long, dark period of loneliness was insatiable. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. The voice in her mind that usually kept her in line went unheard as the desire spoke too loud. His mouth was as addicting as the alcohol.

As Elizabeth brushed her hand across his face, merely coincidental and quite trivial, Jack was reminded of the bandage on her hand. The bandage he applied. The bandage for cuts from a rum bottle. The rum bottle like the countless others. The bandage from the attack she could not fight off because she was too drunk. Too drunk to think, too drunk to act.

Self-loathing hit Jack as he realized what he was going to do. Why did he have to think about it?!?! When again would he hold a willing women in his arms?

"Stop." Jack said softly, pulling away from Elizabeth's kiss.

She was obviously shocked. She tried to kiss him again but he held up two fingers to her lips.

"_Stop_, love."

Quite offended, Elizabeth quickly backed away from Jack. So quick, in fact, she nearly tripped over her feet. Jack couldn't believe he was doing this. He was so angry at himself, he couldn't even look at Elizabeth.

"Go to bed," he commanded. "You're drunk."

Elizabeth's fury, something Jack was familiar with, came to surface at being thus rejected. She could not form words that made sense, but she let her fists clench and her every action as she stormed from the room radiated nothing but complete rage.

"You'll regret this," she spat as she slammed the door.

Left suddenly in silence, Jack shook his head.

"You've no idea."

.

.

.

**A/N: While writing this, it occurred to me that there was an obvious similarity in the bandaging of Elizabeth's hand by Jack in this chapter vs. Will in the first film. But it was completely unintended and now that this is done, I've come to like the contrast! That's just my thoughts on this chapter. Let me know what you think :)**


	11. Regretting Not Having Something toRegret

The next morning, Elizabeth jolted awake. Her first thought was of William, but to her relief he was the first thing she saw, curled up there in her arms. Despite her jump he laid silent and unmoving, save for his deep, sleepy breaths. Though he must have been asleep long before she, Elizabeth thought, it was still a much later night for the young boy than usual.

And then, at this thought, the night from before came swirling back at her.

Nearly stumbling out of the hammock, Elizabeth stood up as quick as she could with a hand to her aching forehead. The night before was blurred by the drinks. In that moment, Elizabeth could not have loathed the rum more. The stinging of panic hit her in the dingy darkness below deck. Elizabeth felt her hair, a complete mess with knots and fly-away strands with no order whatsoever. Her entire body ached and her stomach churned. She lifted her other hand to her cheeks to pull the hair from her face. Instead of the skin of her hand she felt cloth against her hot cheek and then Elizabeth was reminded a bit more of what had happened the night before: Music and dancing and starlight, rum, lots of rum, Fowler backing her into the wall, Jack holding her while she cried, the pain in her hand, Jack's lips.

"Oh god," she whispered as it slowly came back to her. Still, everything was unclear, but what she did remember did not piece together well. There were only short, choppy glimpses of the night that seemed to have no sequence and were incomplete.

Elizabeth was so afraid of what she and Jack had done that she couldn't even bear to think it. Again, a swell of hatred for the rum rose in her thoughts. It was that bloody drink that made her do it and now she had to deal with the consequences. But as Elizabeth thought about it more, the hatred burned for her as well because truly she knew it was not _all_ the rum's fault.

She had no idea what time it was, but there were no other sailors below deck so it had to be late. And she had to be on deck, as it was her duty. The ship swayed and Elizabeth covered her mouth for fear she would vomit, but she didn't. All she wanted was to stay tucked away, out of sight, and pretend nothing happened. Maybe even sleep off the nauseating hangover. But the call of responsibility was inevitable. Slowly she put herself back together and kissed her sleeping boy before trudging up the stairs to her dreadful fate.

Cautiously, Elizabeth stepped into the morning light, feeling utterly exposed. Thatcher and Jack were the first who saw her and they both immediately turned to greet her.

"Miss Elizabeth!" Thatcher greeted happily. "How are you this morning?"

Elizabeth smiled as she was ever taken back by his manners. However, she was interrupted before she could reply.

"Yes, how _are_ you this morning?" Jack asked mischievously with a smirk.

Elizabeth lost her breath. Her petrified stare could not be turned from his knowing. Scarlet red burned her cheeks in utter embarrassment as Jack confirmed it wasn't just a dream. Her heart beat rapidly with regretful desire and shame fell on her like a crashing wave.

"Elizabeth?" Thatcher curiously questioned her silence.

Her head snapped back to his glance.

"Fine, thank you for asking." She said quickly.

Jack nearly laughed aloud at Elizabeth's mistaken distress. She had no idea.

"Bellamy!" Jack yelled across the deck. "Come, it seems we have need to chart a course for some ammunition, eh?"

Elizabeth stayed frozen in thought with Thatcher's sympathetic face watching her in concern, though Elizabeth didn't take notice.

Jack reached to close the door behind him and Bellamy when he saw Elizabeth still there.

"Well come along, Lizzie," he awoke her from her daze. She snapped back to life and followed shyly.

Go here and do that, so many days, so many miles. This way is the fastest. Bellamy laughed countless times. Jack drew a course on a map while staring intently at his compass. Elizabeth nodded her head whenever necessary, but the whole conversation was a blur. She spent the time in the captain's quarters trying not puke (because of embarrassment or her hangover, she wasn't sure) and sadly attempting to put all the pieces together.

Suddenly, or so it seemed to Elizabeth, the door closed, taking Bellamy with it. Elizabeth's thoughts were interrupted by its slam and she finally noticed that she and Jack were alone. Panic hit her nerves and she so wanted to run out the door behind Bellamy but was hopelessly trapped.

"Sleep well?" Jack asked as he poured some drinks, though he really didn't care how she slept. He turned around and handed her a glass into her nearly limp hands. Jack sat down with his boots on the table and chugged his down.

"I suppose," she answered quietly.

"Sit," he commanded.

Elizabeth obeyed and sat her glass on the table with no intention on drinking it. Her hair hung limp along the sides of her face, showing she had made no attempt at fashioning herself. In fact, it may have even felt like her long locks could shield her. She sat with her arms hugging herself, trying to cover what she thought Jack had already seen.

Watching her in utter discomfort, Jack smiled and tipped his back as he always did when making an observation.

"You don't remember anything, do you?"

Elizabeth clenched her jaw to keep from showing emotion.

"That's not true," she objected. "I remember… some of it."

"Ah, but not enough," confirmed Jack as he stood from his seat and walked closer. He grinned wildly, leaning against the table. His brown eyes nearly twinkled with delight. He really enjoyed this advantage.

"Bits and pieces," she admitted.

"What do you remember?"

Elizabeth searched her scattered mind, sick with nerves. She sighed.

"Fowler," she said.

"Ah, yes," Jack said quietly. "Aggressive, that one."

"He kissed me?"

"He would have done more than that had he had his way. And you owe that pretty little bandage to him too."

"He did this to me?" she asked in disbelief.

"Well technically you were the one holding the bottle. But he smashed it."

"But he didn't have his way," Elizabeth confirmed.

"No."

He didn't explain, only left silence. She thought through her memory again to see what other than their kissing she could ask about.

"I fought him off?" She confirmed.

"No," he denied, "Not quite."

"Oh," she said, a bit surprised, "Then… how?"

He stood up and walked back over to his chair and resumed the boots-on-table drinking position.

"Anything else?" Jack asked.

_He helped me!_ Elizabeth thought.

"You and I…"

"Ah, what about us?" He smiled playfully.

"You…. Me….. I…. did we?" Elizabeth mumbled uncomfortably. She felt so out of her element, here, confessing to Jack that she truly was unaware.

"Did we what?" he asked, simply torturing Elizabeth at this point.

"We kissed." She said sternly to show she did not appreciate the games. But this didn't affect Jack the least bit.

"That we did."

"And…. Anything else?"

"I'm not sure I know what you mean."

Silence and a dirty glare were shot from Elizabeth's end of the table.

"Did we… _do_ anything?" She finally gave in. This was her breaking point. But she just _had _to know.

Even Jack was not so cruel as to push her past this point. He stood up again, still grinning, and walked over to her. He grabbed her drink and poured it down his own throat (waste not!).

"No," he admitted after his long, enjoyable reign over her emotions. Elizabeth let out an exasperated sigh and leaned her head on the table, her nerves letting loose with relief.

"Thank God," she said under her breath.

"You really thought we did?" Jack teased.

She need only look at him to confirm this.

"Well, love, if you're disappointed we can always fix this." He smiled.

This completely changed the course of events as she had interpreted them. Only kissing him was a relief to Elizabeth, but embarrassing nonetheless. She had cried in front of him too, but she wasn't willing to acknowledge that no matter _what _she needed to know. What a wreck she had to have been! And Jack… well he could have done anything. She had been at his mercy.

"Why didn't we?" she said aloud after much thinking.

"You _are_ disappointed!" He grinned like a boy winning a game. Elizabeth didn't react to the comment at all but continued to speak her thoughts as if he hadn't said anything.

"I was drunk and kissing you. You could have done it without any burden, without responsibility. I was willing- _drunk_, but willing. "

"Call it personal taste," he quickly covered.

"No." Elizabeth said resolutely, finally acknowledging him.

Jack was silent at this, the triumphant grin wiped from his face. Elizabeth slowly started to fill in the blanks. She stood to meet his gaze.

"You couldn't do it." She finally concluded. "Could you?"

Jack need only look at her to confirm this. Elizabeth was shaken at her actually being right. Literally taken back at the truth, her face showed the bewilderment. Jack, seeing her conclusion, acted quickly to dissuade it.

"Elizabeth," he said, stepping closer so that they were only inches apart, "I am _not _a good man."

But this was only evidence to the contrary. Suddenly Jack was no longer a questionable alliance, but instead Elizabeth felt fondness, appreciation, and admiration for the man. Her heart swelled with the fondness and suddenly she longed to kiss him- not out of gratitude, but out of an unexpected affection for him.

Standing close, Elizabeth saw Jack's eyes flick to her lips and she knew he thought something similar. But such territory was dangerous and Elizabeth didn't dare take that leap.

She was thankful for her caution because just then Bellamy burst through the door with all the joyous noise he carried with him.

"Captain, I've found that map you was lookin' for!"

Struck with awkward discomfort, the two threw themselves as far apart from the other as possible.

"Good!" said Jack, over-enthused by a simple map.

Bellamy glanced from Jack to Elizabeth, who hung her head low, then back to Jack again suspiciously. Unable to bear it any longer, Elizabeth quickly strode past Bellamy and out the door.

"That'll be all," Jack said dismissively as he took the map from Bellamy. Bellamy couldn't help but shoot him another_ "what's going on"_ glance before leaving the room himself. He chuckled obnoxiously as he closed the door. Situations such as these amused Bellamy so!

.

...

.....

**A/N: My longest chapter yet as things get a moving with Liz and Jack. Let me know your thoughts :) Thanks!!**


	12. Inescapable Fire

As the day grew on, so did the heat. It was inescapable. Below deck it was hot, above deck it was hot, and in the helm it was hot. Sitting, standing, working- it was stifling. Elizabeth felt like she could not breathe for most of the day. Constantly, she looked for some way to cool down but alas there was nothing that could cure her fever. The entire crew moved slowly from place to place, beads of sweat on their necks, a rum bottle at the ready to cool off. Elizabeth however, scared to death of the substance, stayed clear of such refreshments.

Seeing how sitting was no relief, Elizabeth decided she might as well make herself useful by running ropes and the like. She was pleased to do so as an alternative to helping Jack like she normally did. She was also pleased to let William play all day with Pintel and Ragetti. There was far too much afire in her thoughts to be trifled with such responsibilities. She could hardly focus on any task; her mind was elsewhere, viciously occupying other thoughts.

"Miss Elizabeth!" Thatcher exclaimed as he hung above on a rope to Elizabeth down below. "A lady such as you should not run herself so raw. You'll be stricken with drought if you keep going on like this."

Elizabeth took a breath to speak and the air felt like the heat that arose from Mrs. Darlington's oven.

"It does me no good to sit." She responded, blinking as she had to look up into the sun to answer him.

Hastily she went back to knotting ropes. Even the ropes carried heat.

"I implore you to give it a second chance," he said in genuine concern.

"Thatcher, _I'm fine_," Elizabeth snapped. His respect for a lady was something to admire until it came to judging her capability to do a man's work.

His weary eyes furrowed a bit. They were sad enough to make Elizabeth feel like she had kicked a puppy. But this was not enough for her to obey him and Thatcher was not about to push her.

The sun twinkled in the water. The sun twinkled everywhere.

Finishing her knot, she looked down at her work. It was wrong. Elizabeth sighed in frustration. _If Thatcher hadn't interrupted me…_ She furiously unknotted and started over again, whipping the rope around like it was Thatcher himself. A piece of hair fell on her sweaty face and she pushed it away fiercely. As she re-tied it she quickly grew unexplainably conscious of the ships swaying. The slightest movement rocked her insides to and fro. Elizabeth felt like she did her first time on a ship!

Finally having it right she nearly threw the rope as she pushed it away from her so hard. So hard, in fact, she stumbled back a bit, caught off balance. Her legs seemed to be useless. The sun swung above her like a pendulum. She felt absolutely dizzy and her stomach revolted as if it had taken a punch. Then, she felt her body go weak with the heat and she fell to it with a thud. All went black.

* * *

"Mother, its day time!"

"Leave ye mother alone, lad. She just be nappin a bit, awright?"

"But.. but its day time!"

Elizabeth blinked. Her son's face leaning over her came into view. Elizabeth groaned in achy sleepiness. William's face lit up and he jumped up and down.

"Mother!" he exclaimed.

"Fancy that!" cried out Bellamy, "sleeping beauty has returned to us! How are ye lass?"

Elizabeth's throat was too dry to even talk. She looked around to try and place where she was. She was in a bed that was lodged in a nook in the wall. A simple bed stand with an unlit candle was on the side. She tried to set up to see past William and Bellamy and she found that they were in Jack's cabin.

"Ere go dawlin. I bet a pigs leg you be thirstin something fierce, afta a spell lke that."

Elizabeth propped herself up on her elbows as Bellamy poured the canteen of water down her throat. The coolness brought imminent relief. She could have drained the canteen completely, however a little too soon he pulled it away.

"Fainting again, Lizzie? I'd have thought you've done enough of that for a lifetime," Jack said, walking up behind Bellamy and William.

"Apparently not," Elizabeth replied good-naturedly.

"Mother, why were you sleeping?" William asked earnestly.

"I wasn't feeling very well, I suppose," she tried her best to answer.

"You're sick?" he asked in alarm.

"Not anymore. Mother's alright." Elizabeth smiled and cradled his precious face in her hand. "Now don't worry about me. Why don't you go play?"

"She's right, lad. I'll leave ye yer peace while ye wake up miss, I'd best be tellin the crew of yer wakenin. They be itchin to know, I'm sure of it!"

Bellamy laughed heartily at it. As he walked out of the room he grabbed William up in his arms like a sack of potatoes.

"Come, lad, lets give mum some space."

Wiliam got a kick out of this, screaming and giggling the whole way out.

"No corsets to blame this time, am I right?" Jack asked.

"I've not fashioned a corset for some time now, Jack." Elizabeth informed him. She sat up and pulled her legs around to sit on the edge of the bed, her feet dangling to the wood floor.

"Nor should you. A woman such as you should do what she wants," he declared.

Elizabeth thought about her current station and life.

"Am I not?"

"Not entirely. But I daresay this is the closest you've come." He smiled.

Elizabeth thought carefully about it, what she wanted. What did she want? Oh she could not bear to answer it.

"I'd best be getting back to work," she said as she quickly stood up. It took her a second to regain her footing, but soon she was feeling better than before she fainted.

Jack nearly smiled at how quickly she ran.

"If you insist, love."

---

---

---

**A/N: Editing next chapter. Any suggestions?? And as always thank you for reading :)**


	13. Melting Point

Elizabeth worked all day, avoiding all encounters with Jack. Any moment he came on deck she occupied herself with something else as if was crucial, no matter how trivial it actually was. Not used to spending _all_ day working on deck, Elizabeth was exhausted. She considered heading straight to bed but could not let herself do it. Despite the discomfort she knew she would encounter, it was custom to go over the ship's course at night in Jack's cabin when the shifts changed. But even if it wasn't tradition, Elizabeth felt she would have been drawn there anyways, sooner or later.

As she silently slipped into the room without announcing herself, as if to sneak by, Jack immediately acknowledged her presence.

"Dear Lizzie, I had no idea you had such a fascination with ropes," he said to her without looking up from the charts he so often stared at. For a moment Elizabeth had to think of what to say. She hadn't thought he'd even noticed her devotion to the ropes lately.

"Not a fascination, but a necessary task. You know that," she finally retorted defensively.

He looked up.

"You rewrapped that rope near five times, I gander," he smirked.

Elizabeth had to turn her hot face the opposite direction to hide her discomfort.

"Come now, love. Feeling disoriented again?"

_ "Hardly."_

Jack saw straight through her though, as always, and he let her know with seductive smile. She swallowed hard, nerves making her stomach jump around her throat. After having the desired effect, his gaze fell back on the map.

They continued to move along as always, but there was a feeling in the air that made it nearly impossible. Elizabeth couldn't concentrate on the task at hand. She found herself watching his every move as if everything was significant. What could it mean if he did this? Did she like that he did that? She tried to find actions of his that would discourage her emotions and give her a reason to not feel so fondly for him. _Jack, ugh!_ She thought. To feel affection for _Jack Sparrow_ was so shameful, so _below_ her. _Below her…_ but what really was left below her? Was she so much better than he? This single mother with hardly any income to speak of and a high standing among _pirates_? Perhaps it was only fitting that she felt affection for the likes of him. The more she looked for gestures to hate, the more she realized how much she did not hate him. In fact, this proved to be quite the opposite. What a disappointment for Elizabeth! There would be no easy way out of this. These feelings were inescapable.

Thinking this to herself, Elizabeth was ever so thankful it was only the two of them with no Bellamy, no Thatcher, and William fast asleep. Her sudden uneasiness was not something she wished to be noticed and those three would pick up on it most quickly.

"Two days course to Nevis Point if we take the southern bound route 'round Ambigua."

After a pause, his dark eyes flashed to Elizabeth for a response.

"Ambigua…" Elizabeth repeated, what appeared mindlessly, her eyes unable to leave his, "They're occupied by the East India Trading Company?"

"Yes," Jack said as if it had no meaning.

Elizabeth chose not to follow up the subject, despite the suspicions it aroused. She really had no care to address anything. It seemed as if neither one of them said a thing that meant anything, only moving their lips for the sake of conversation. Clearly, both were viciously occupying thoughts far from the topic at hand.

The conversation dropped. Silence surrounded them, as real as a blanket. Jack took the step to move closer, to enter the aloof boundaries that Elizabeth possessed. Without thinking, she stepped back away from him.

To let someone in after building a wall was terrifying for Elizabeth. Circumstances beyond her control had forced the young, proud, romantic girl to turn into a strong, hard woman. Ever since the death of her mother, she had been hurt so many times that her only way to remain functional was to grow cold. But because of this she lost a part of herself. To break down the wall, to succumb to emotion, to believe herself worthy of getting what she wanted was to acknowledge what she had lost and to be vulnerable to more pain. And Elizabeth was scared to hurt again.

Jack cocked his head at her resistance as if he too knew it wasn't what she wanted. He daringly reached out a hand to her cheek and gently pulled her in. It didn't take much. For a brief moment she fell into his enticement but stopped herself at his lips.

"Jack," she breathed, "Please don't make me do this."

He paused for a moment at her vain resistance and smiled.

"It's time you taste freedom, love," Jack whispered alluringly.

Elizabeth's stomach regretfully did turns as she finally let him kiss her. Again, she let him take another kiss. Quickly she realized how easy it would be let him take even more. She pulled away.

"I can't," she whispered again.

He kissed her again despite her protests as if to remind of why she _could._ Butterflies erupted in her stomach and her heart pounded fiercely.

"Jack," she entreated again, pulling away.

"Shhh," he commanded and kissed her again, this time more passionately.

Elizabeth felt her body go weak and she willingly kissed back.

His hands wrapped around her waist and gently walked her backwards against the wall. Pressing his body to hers, she melted beyond her control. Just like before, though Elizabeth was not conscious of it, she wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him as close as possible. A hand fell to her upper thigh and another ran along her sides. Jack was ever so careful not to move too fast for Elizabeth. However, he was forceful enough to make her stay. He would never blow a chance like this at the expense of exaggerated caution. It was like catching a rabbit whose instinct was to flee but whose hunger made it stay. Jack was a master of such an art. Therefore, an exciting and fiery sensation overcame Elizabeth like the warm sun on her skin.

Despite all this, she reached in to what little self-will she had left.

"Jack," she desperately whispered in a panted breath between kisses. She had meant to say that it wasn't right and to leave before he drove her over the edge. But the words would not come out. Her heart was afire and her thoughts had nearly been put to rest.

"Jack…. Jack…" she made her final attempt, but Jack knew he had won.

He stopped kissing her, but still held her firmly close.

"What, love?"

Suddenly with him listening she couldn't even say what she wanted. He smirked proudly. All she could think of was his kiss and why his lips so suddenly not on her own. With seemingly no other options, Elizabeth answered him with a kiss… and another kiss… and another kiss…

* * *

Elizabeth awoke with a jolt. Her first thought was of William, but to her disappointment the first thing she saw was Jack who lay asleep next to her. Without the slightest confusion, Elizabeth realized what she had done. She tried on regret. _Oh what a mistake!_ But it didn't suit her. She tried on outrage at being thus taken. _Jack Sparrow was a cunning, sly wretch! _But, alas, that did not work either. Then she tried on misconception. _She simply didn't realize what she was doing at the time!_ But yet again she knew this was false. No, Elizabeth felt no such thing that she _should_ feel while sitting on the edge of bed not belonging to her husband. And for _that_, she was sorry.

**A/N: _Please_, share your thoughts :)**


	14. Storm on the Horizon

**A/N: Sorry its been so long since my last update.. Here's a long one to make up for it. After the scene with Will and Elizabeth, the story picks back up a couple weeks or so after the last chapter left off.**

**...**

**...**

**...  
**

"So that's it then?" Will, who sat hunched over the table with his arms crossed, chirped in. Elizabeth, still hot with embarrassment, thought of what to say. The silence made her uncomfortable.

"Not _entirely._"

"How many times? More than that once?" he demanded to know. His face grew red and contorted with anger. The idea of the whole thing was like having the sword back in his heart and each confirmation Elizabeth gave him was like Davy Jones twisting it even more.

"I don't know," Elizabeth said exasperated and distressed. "More than once, yes. A few other times. Maybe more…"

Will slammed his fist into the wooden table. His curly hair fell all out of place as if it were angry too.

"What were you thinking?" he yelled at Elizabeth who remained firm as stone, though her wet cheeks betrayed her. "This wasn't some misfortune, Elizabeth. Surely you knew what you were doing?"

She would not satisfy him with a response.

"…And that other man, he could have had you as well."

"_That _was a matter in which I had _no_ choice."

He let silence fill the room as he breathed in some control.

"What became of him?" Will asked with sincere concern and perhaps, surprisingly, some sympathy for Elizabeth. At last, she was not the villain in this part of the story.

"He departed as soon as we made port, just a day after the happening, too ashamed to show his face. Though that most likely would _not_ have been the case had he succeeded."

Silence again. Elizabeth lost track of where she was.

"And then what? Did Jack just leave you off when he found out?" Will began again, putting Elizabeth back on the hot spot.

"_No_," Elizabeth said more defensively than she meant to and Will noticed. "No," she tried again, quieter, "it wasn't like that."

"Was it _love_?" He said sneeringly.

Elizabeth couldn't answer the question because the answer was not something she could word. And such a mockery did not deserve the effort. Silence fell as he waited for her response.

"It was wrong, but I was happy," she said sincerely. "When I left it was of my own choosing. However, I would not have chosen it if anything less had happened than what did."

Her mind twinkled back to the unfortunate forces that seemed to follow Elizabeth's happiness.

* * *

"Stop it," she said with a smile. The musty, warm air below deck wallowed around her.

Jack gleefully disobeyed and kissed her again. Elizabeth kissed back as if it would satisfy him enough to be done. The two had run into each other alone below deck. With no one to see, how could they ignore the opportunity? There was intense and quick pleasure that made her heart fly, her knees weak, and her mouth gape. Elizabeth stumbled away from Jack, adjusting her breeches, tucking in her blouse, and straightening her sweaty hair. Her lips remained remarkably pink, the natural feminine glow of a woman in love.

"I'm going," she said hastily while picking up the canteen she had come down for to begin with.

Jack ignored her decision and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Really, Jack. Thatch is waiting for me."

He pulled back a bit.

"What 's _he_ doing?" he asked against her cheek.

Elizabeth spun around to face him, her arms brought up tightly against his chest.

"We were working on the mast together, what's it to you?" she said playfully.

He kissed her again.

"I'll come to your cabin later," Elizabeth promised as she pulled away quickly, "But I have to go now."

Jack pouted and let her go. She quickly backed away in a hurry to get back on deck.

"I promise," she shouted back as she ran up the stairs, canteen in hand.

Above deck, the sky was overcast and the air was hot. A storm was brewing in the distance. Jack and Elizabeth parted as if nothing had gone on between the two and so their secret remained. Elizabeth brought the canteen she had gone down to fetch over to Thatcher who sat on deck holding the cloth in his rough hands.

"What took you so long?" he asked.

"Are you complaining?" Elizabeth teased nonchalantly instead of honestly answering the question.

He checked himself.

"Not at all," he smiled kindly up at her.

He set the cloth down to drink. Elizabeth eased herself down onto the wood to grab her end. She took a needle out to begin when thumping on deck came towards her with a crash.

Elizabeth grabbed the boy who wrapped his arms are her neck and dropped his body on her back.

"Mother!" he yelled with fits of giggles.

Happily Elizabeth pulled him forward and entrapped the young boy in a rapid fire of tickles. His innocent laughter pierced the air and no sound could have made Elizabeth happier. Thatcher watched silently with a subdued smile. As Elizabeth noticed this she gently let William go. The boy sat up with his hair a mess and his hat askew. Adoringly, his mother fixed his hat, brushed his hair from his face, and kissed his red cheek.

"You'll need to be in bed soon, dear," Elizabeth remarked, taking notice to the darkening sky around them behind already dismal clouds.

"No!" William yelled and took off running. Elizabeth opened her mouth to call out to him but decided it was useless. She sighed and shook her head.

"Enjoy it while you can," said Thatcher, implicating guilt. Elizabeth was growing a little resentful of his constant reminders.

"I do," Elizabeth said proudly. She cursed herself for acting so selfishly but she was realizing that Thatcher's loss was becoming less sincere and more manipulative. _Stop this_, she thought, trying to put the thoughts from her mind. However, the thought was not in the position to be disregarded because it wasn't a thought at all. It was instinct- the instinct of an individual who knew grief well.

* * *

After laying William down to bed, Elizabeth quietly made her way up the stairs that lead to the deck. She smiled happily to herself for no reason whatsoever. Realizing this before reaching the door, Elizabeth stopped and took a deep breath to drown the illogical smile. She reached for the door and the smile cracked again. She stopped, nearly giggled to herself, and then bit her lip to restrain it. How ridiculous she had become! Quickly Elizabeth opened the door and walked on deck.

The dark clouds had made good on their threat; rain pounded the wooden deck. Elizabeth ran underneath the raindrops to Jack's door. However, when she got there the door was cracked and someone else was already there. Elizabeth quickly took underneath the stairs that lead to the helm in order to dodge the rain. The glowing light came through the crack and painted Elizabeth's face as she curiously kept close in order to hear. Oddly enough, Elizabeth was not shocked to see Thatcher standing across the table from Jack.

"We had a deal," Thatcher spat.

"Your down payment no longer covers the costs, your service is good but not worth the price. Our deal has expired and I have held up my part. You can stay and work and earn your keep like the rest of the crew or you can leave. But we're not stopping again." Jack explained the facts brutally like Elizabeth knew he could when he was irritated. But these facts were something of which she was completely unaware.

"Captain, you hate them like I do. You know he deserves this," Thatch pleaded desperately. "That is not my problem." Jack quickly walked around the room sorting maps, clearly making the point that he was too busy to be trifled with.

"It is all of our problems! Men like him have caused all of us pain! You know this to be true."

"You're caught up in your emotions, lad."

"They must pay!" Thatcher yelled with the urgency ringing in his voice.

"Yes," Jack quickly agreed irritably. "But not today. We must wait until the opportune moment."

"Captain, please help me. I cannot live while he lives."

"I think you'll find you can."

"No-"

"Enough!" Jack finally stopped his pleading, though he was still fuming. "Get out, go sleep."

Still watching intently, Elizabeth saw Thatcher turn to leave and she quickly threw herself into the darkness below the stairs. Thatcher stormed off into the rain without noticing she was there. Looking at him then looking in at Jack, Elizabeth finally entered.

Jack shot a glance towards her to show he knew she was there. Unwilling to explain anything, he made no greeting, but continued to sort his stack of maps. Elizabeth stood there and watched him, giving him the chance to explain. Soon, however, she realized he wasn't planning on making the attempt.

"Jack," she said seriously but calmly, "what's going on?"

With his back to her, he quickly stopped shuffling to roll his eyes and then he continued on occupying himself.

"It's nothing."

"Nothing?" Elizabeth responded, aghast. "You don't have a personal vendetta with the East India Trading Company, Thatcher does. What's he want you to do?"

Jack made no response.

"Jack please!" Elizabeth said desperately. Then more quietly she said, "This is why we've made all the stops, isn't it? All the dancing with the Company, this is why?"

Jack remained silent, but clenched his jaw in agitation, his back still turned. Elizabeth shook her head and crossed her arms in front of her in frustration.

"How much did he pay you?" she dared to ask.

Finished with the conversation long before it started, Jack shook his head to deny the question. He walked towards her sour face with a complacent smile. She didn't respond to his distracting kiss on her lips.

"Another time, love? I'm a little busy," he said.

To their original plans or to his explanation, Elizabeth was uncertain of what he meant- perhaps both. He smiled as if pretending nothing was wrong would put Elizabeth at ease. She clenched her jaw and shook her head, as if to show how wrong he was to think that. Without a word she quickly left his room with displeasing unanswered questions circling the humid air.

* * *

Wearily, Elizabeth sat herself down on the hammock with a relief to her aching feet. She took a moment to appreciate the silence and calmness below deck. She sighed heavily. Like it sometimes did at night, her thoughts weighed heavily on her suddenly. The calm darkness betrayed her, though physically she didn't show any sign of what went on in her mind. She looked over her shoulder at the sleeping boy in the hammock behind her. So precious was he, she thought. So innocent. So like his father. Elizabeth felt uneasy. Had she really lost the control she thought once to gain? She knew she was making a mistake and she felt the inevitable grip of consequence tugging at her in the night.


End file.
